STORIES

Born in the US in 2017, the QAnon conspiracy theory behaves similarly to a cult. It claims that a secret cabal of corrupt elites is running a child sex trafficking ring and plotting for world domination. But how easy is it to fall under the spell? And if you are born into it, how do you break out?

On the 16th of October 2017, Malta’s leading investigative journalist was murdered by a car bomb explosion in broad daylight, just a few metres outside her home. This is the story of how the Maltese Labour Party set up a woman to become public enemy number one. Once it was in government, the party used every means at its disposal to target, discredit and isolate her, until they had finally created the ideal environment for her enemies to feel confident enough to hurt her without fear of reprisals.

It can be difficult to talk to people who hold beliefs that are fundamentally incompatible with our own worldview. The wrong approach can be alienating and counterproductive. Many people who believe in conspiracy theories feel attacked or ridiculed by others, become more defensive, and further retreat into their ideas as a result.

The Hungarian government has introduced a five-year jail penalty for spreading “false information” on the coronavirus response in 2020. But the government’s definition of “false information” isn’t what you’d expect. Instead, it includes nearly any sort of reportage or accountability on Hungary’s public health response. As a result, these could be the last days of independent media in Hungary.

Sofia’s childhood memories are steeped in esoteric rituals, cosmic sessions, and magical woo-woo that she never fully understood. Her room was full of healing flasks and birthstones, and even as a grown-up, she hasn’t been able to shake off the superstition.